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Magical Congress of the United States of America
The Magical Congress of the United States of America (shortened MACUSA) is the magical body in charge of governing the wizarding population in the United States of America. I tis led by the President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America. Unlike the No-Maj United States Congress, which is divided into a House of Representatives and a Senate, the MACUSA is unicameral. The MACUSA is located within the Woolworth Building in downtown New York City and has hundreds of stories. Functions The MACUSA performs many of the same functions as other wizarding governing bodies in other countries, such as the Ministries of Magic or Councils of Magic. MACUSA was modelled on the Wizards' Council of Great Britain, which predated the Ministry of Magic. Representatives from magical communities all over North America were elected to MACUSA to create laws that both policed and protected American wizardkind. In MACUSA's early years, its primary aim was to rid the continent of Sourers, corrupt wizards who had hunted their fellow magical beings for personal gain. MACUSA's second great law enforcement challenge was the number of wizarding criminals who had fled to America from Europe and beyond, precisely because of the lack of organized law enforcement, such as existed in their own countries. History Early years The Magical Congress of the United States of America was established in 1693 with the introduction of the International Statute of Secrecy, as a direct result of the Salem Witch Trials, thus pre-dating the No-Maj formation of the United States of America by around a century. One of the representatives was Josiah Jackson who became the first President of MACUSA. Josiah was thought to be strong enough to deal with the troubles caused by the Salem Witch Trials. The first task of the North American wizarding legislature was to put on trial the Scourers, a unscrupulous and brutal band of wizarding bounty hunters and racketeers, executing those convicted of murder, wizard-trafficking, and torture. Josiah Jackson's main priority when he became President was to create and train Aurors. There were only a select few to start with, only two of them surviving to old age. They won the enduring respect of the magical community in North America, which was extended to their descendants. MACUSA has had to move its location at least five times since its inception. Originally, MACUSA had no definite meeting place and moved around so it would not be detected by No-Majs. Due to the fact that America had a very hostile relationship between magical and non-magical people, there was no cooperation between MACUSA and the No-Maj government. Eventually, MACUSA created an enhanced edifice in the Appalachian Mountains as their headquarters. However, they had to change it as it was an inconvenient location. In 1760, MACUSA relocated to Williamsburg, Virginia, where its then President Thornton Harkaway lived. Harkaway bred Crups, which possess a great aggression towards non-magical people. When the Crups attacked local No-Majs, it led to a great branch of the Statute of Secrecy, and Harkaway had to step down due to disgrace. MACUSA then relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, where President Able Fleming lived. However, when the Revolutionary War began, which led to the arrival of the No-Maj Congress to the city, MACUSA decided to move to Washington. In 1777, then President Elizabeth McGilliguddy presided over the infamous Country or Kind? debate. It was an extraordinary meeting which led to the expansion of the Great Meeting Chamber. They discussed whether to support their community or their country and whether to fight for liberation from the British Muggles. They also debated whether it was really their fight. The argument did not go well and it led to a fight. Pro-interventionists argued that, by intervening, they could save lives, while anti-interventionists believed that they would reveal their community by intervening and place it in danger. They sought the advice of the Ministry of Magic to find out whether they intended to intervene on their side, and they replied with only a four word letter: "Sitting this one out". McGilliguddy replied with an even shorter message: "Mind you do". Ultimately, they did not intervene, but they did attempt to protect their No-Maj neighbors unofficially and celebrated Independence Day. Due to the indescretions of the dim-witted witch Dorcus Twelvetrees, the then President Emily Rappaport created Rappaport's Law which would enforce strict segregation between the No-Maj and wizarding communities. Henceforth, wizards were no longer allowed to befriend or marry No-Majs, and penalties of such fraternization were harsh. Communication was also limited to that necessary to perform daily activities. During this time, MACUSA worked strictly independent of itself from the No-Maj government to decrease the possibility of exposure. Under Rappaport's Law, MACUSA continued to avoid communication with the No-Maj community for many years and MACUSA also continued to impose severe penalties on those who disobeyed the International Statute of Secrecy. After the Great Sasquatch Rebellion of 1892, MACUSA was forced to relocate its headquarters for the fifth time in its history and moved from Washington to New York City at the Woolworth Building, where it remained throughout the 1920s. The rebellion was blamed on Irene Kneedander, Head of the Body for the Protection of Magical Species. Kneedander had taken to attacking a Sasquatch that had done something wrong, leading to their decision to rebel. MACUSA needed a new headquarters and, over the course of several years, wizards infiltrated the construction team of a new building in New York. By the time the Woolworth Building was complete, it could house both No-Majs and transform into a space for wizards, only if activated by the correct spells. The only outer mark of their new secret location was the owl carved over the entrance. Recent history Sometime at the end of the 19th century, a legislation was introduced which would require all American wizards and witches to have a permit allowing them to carry a wand. This was a measure which was intended to keep tabs on all magical activity and identify the perpetrators by their wands. Rappaport's Law was still in operation in the 1920s and several offices in MACUSA had no counterpart in the Ministry of Magic. Unlike the No-Maj community which had a strict Prohibition law against alcohol for many years, MACUSA allowed the wizarding community to consume alcohol. Though many criticized this policy, pointing out that it made witches and wizards rather conspicuous around sober No-Majs. However, in a light-hearted moment, the then President Seraphina Picquery stated that being a wizard or witch in America was already hard enoguh. At one point, she famously told her Chief of Staff that the "Gigglewater" was non-negotiable. It is known that House-elves worked at MACUSA during the 1920s. A significant difference between the wizarding governments in the United States and the United Kingdom of this time was the pentalty for serious crime. Whereas British witches and wizards were sent to Azkaban, the worst criminals in America were executed. In the 1920s, the President of MACUSA was Seraphina Picquery from Savannah, Georgia. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was headed by Percival Graves, a well-respected descendant of one of the original twelve American Aurors. Present time The current President of MACUSA and, thus, leader of American wizarding society is Samuel G. Quahog. Headquarters In the 1920s, MACUSA's main hall within the Woolworth Building was several hundred feet tall, filled with light and featuring black and gold accents. It contained a large Magical Exposure Threat Level Measurer above the front staircase along with a magical portrait of President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America Seraphina Picquery. At the center of the main room was a monument with four columns featuring Phoenix statues. In the middle was a group of statues commemorating those who died in the Salem Witch Trials. Under the monument are four words - "Integritas", "Unitas", "Virtus", and "Magia", which mean "Integrity", "Unity", "Valour", and "Magic" respectively. Around the exterior of the hall were desks and columns topped with statues of the original twelve Aurors. Personnel Presidents *Josiah Jackson (c. 1693; 1st President of MACUSA) *Charity Wilkinson (3rd President of MACUSA) *Thornton Harkaway (1760) *Able Fleming *Elizabeth McGilliguddy (c. 1777) *Emily Rappaport (c. 1790; 15th President of MACUSA) *Seraphina Picquery (1920-1928) *Samuel G. Quahog Aurors Original Twelve *Wilhelm Fischer *Theodard Fontaine *Gondulphus Graves *Robert Grimsditch *Mary Jauncey *Carlos Lopez *Mungo MacDuff *Cormac O'Brien *Abraham Potter *Berthilde Roche *Helmut Weiss *Charity Wilkinson Others *Porpentina Goldstein Other personnel *Aristotle Twelvetrees - Keeper of Treasure and Dragots *Irene Kneedander - Head of the Body for Protection of Magical Species *Percival Graves - Director of Magical Security and Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement *Porpentina Goldstein - Auror, former Federal Wand Permit Officer *Queenie Goldstein - desk job in Wand Permit Office *E. A. Limus - Federal Identity Commissioner *Abernathy *Red - Goblin bellboy *Bernadette - Executioner *Sam - Obliviator *Albert Perschky - Apparition Examiner *Paloma Proudfoot - Surveillor of Activity Category:Magical Congress of the United States of America